Mr. Abbott, I stand here before you today to address an issue I currently see in Australia. This issue is with the current marriage equality, understanding, or lack thereof, in Australia. I know you have probably heard this speech a thousand times, but today I am asking you to listen to me as I am part of this nation’s youth and future. My generation will stand on this earth long after you have ceased your power, in fifty years the future generations will be moulded around the decisions you make today. In the 21st century Australia has made some progress in protecting the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender (LGBT) community, there have been laws put in place to protect against discrimination. We protect them in their work by not allowing any discrimination towards them, no sexual harassment and equal rights in the workplace. While this is a great advancement in our society, it seems we have still come to a standstill because it is 2015 and while LGBT people may have equal rights in their workplace they still don’t have equal rights when they go home at night. Although the government has laws against discriminating against others in this country, the government is still the biggest discriminator. Mr.
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Abbott I don’t know if you understand quite what discrimination is but in my opinion, not letting two people to marry based purely on the fact that they are the same gender is discrimination. Not letting people get married is completely contradictory to what our great country is supposed to stand for. Something I hear a lot in response to equality is “letting gay people get married will ruin the sanctity of marriage”. Some people in this country seem to be more comfortable with the 71 year old Geoffrey Edelsten planning to marry his 25 year old girlfriend than they are with a same sex couple getting married and having a family together. I am unaware if you are one of those people, but what I do know is, while you are sickened at the thought that homosexual couples want to get married and have families of their own, I’m scared at the thought that all my friends and people I have grown up with will one day plan their dream weddings with the one they love and I will not receive that same opportunity. I am scared that while people are announcing the birth of their first child, I will still be fighting this fight for myself and thousands of others who have been denied these basic human rights, like the right to marry who you choose. Not only is it illegal for same-sex couples to get married in this country, it is also illegal for them to try and start a family together. Same-sex couples cannot adopt a child together in South Australia and they cannot share equal parental rights of that child. Same-sex couples are seen as nothing more than just a ‘domestic partnership’ or even in some states, just roommates. If the leader of our country, the most powerful force we have to look up to, doesn’t agree with the equality of certain individuals based on who they chose to love, how can we expect anything different from the future generations? We are living in a society where equality is taken from certain individuals because of their sexual preference. Your choices, Mr. Abbott, are not only affecting these individuals, but they are also affecting the
Abbott I don’t know if you understand quite what discrimination is but in my opinion, not letting two people to marry based purely on the fact that they are the same gender is discrimination. Not letting people get married is completely contradictory to what our great country is supposed to stand for. Something I hear a lot in response to equality is “letting gay people get married will ruin the sanctity of marriage”. Some people in this country seem to be more comfortable with the 71 year old Geoffrey Edelsten planning to marry his 25 year old girlfriend than they are with a same sex couple getting married and having a family together. I am unaware if you are one of those people, but what I do know is, while you are sickened at the thought that homosexual couples want to get married and have families of their own, I’m scared at the thought that all my friends and people I have grown up with will one day plan their dream weddings with the one they love and I will not receive that same opportunity. I am scared that while people are announcing the birth of their first child, I will still be fighting this fight for myself and thousands of others who have been denied these basic human rights, like the right to marry who you choose. Not only is it illegal for same-sex couples to get married in this country, it is also illegal for them to try and start a family together. Same-sex couples cannot adopt a child together in South Australia and they cannot share equal parental rights of that child. Same-sex couples are seen as nothing more than just a ‘domestic partnership’ or even in some states, just roommates. If the leader of our country, the most powerful force we have to look up to, doesn’t agree with the equality of certain individuals based on who they chose to love, how can we expect anything different from the future generations? We are living in a society where equality is taken from certain individuals because of their sexual preference. Your choices, Mr. Abbott, are not only affecting these individuals, but they are also affecting the